Phew! A little more than two weeks but I managed to finish about two chapters. It just took me longer than expected to review and proofread about 60 pages. This chapter is kind of a filler with important information that will explain the action packed chapters that will follow. Depending on my crazy schedule, I will probably post two more updates this week and work on the next batch in the following two weeks.
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Once the pureblood's condition was deemed stable, the caregiver ushered everyone out of the room to allow Kaname a much-needed rest while the iv drip replenished his energy.
Few hours later, the pureblood slipped in his silk pajamas after a quick shower and then headed to his living room, making a request for some tea when he sensed the presence of his guest.
Kaname sat on his favorite love seat, still feeling sluggish. As soon as Liam finished his phone call, he brushed away his own stray hair and tucked it behind his ear, making his porcelain doll-like face more prominent.
"It seems like I cannot apologize enough…" Kaname sighed.
"You think?" Liam fumed, "The last time I had to tap into that much of my power was at the attack of a stray dog decades ago… and it was nothing like what you made me go through yesterday." Liam all but hissed as he gulped down yet another handful of blood pills.
Kaname kept quiet, knowing that nothing he said would change anything. The fact was that he lost control and exposed too many lives to mortal danger.
Liam managed to cool his head by the time the tea was served.
"Anyway, I do hope that there would not be a repeat of what happened, for the sake of all the people around you…"
"I hope so too…" Kaname mused, pensively.
"Nonetheless… It was quite surprising, to say the least…" Liam stated inquisitively,
"Tell me about it... "Kaname sighed.
"I am not talking about you, Oooh mighty king gone mad!" Brown eyebrow twitched at the familiar mockery.
"I was talking about that child." Both purebloods exchanged the same look they had upon witnessing the counterattack of Keichii.
"That child… Keichii, was it?" Liam continued after the confirmation of Kaname "There is no way he is a Shiki." The flat statement and certainty in Liam's voice reminded Kaname of how sharp he was and that there was no beating around the bush with such a man.
"Rido Kuran is the father." Kaname answered as he laid back on the loveseat, covering his eyes with his forearm.
"Heeeh… interesting…" Liam tilted his head at the statement, amusement apparent in his voice. "No wonder he is presented as a Shiki to society… Smart move. "
"However," placing elbows on either side of the armchair, Liam rested his chin on crossed hands "I cannot say that I am surprised. Going as far as falsifying records in order not to raise any red flags." the golden eyes observed the man lying on the seat across from him. Seeing no reaction from the Kuran pureblood indicated that Kaname had no intention of divulging any more details.
The intrigued Liam decided to continue his observation out loud "Naah! Kaname… seeing that each pureblood family has an ability that they excel in mastering more than the others, it is more or less easy to figure out the lineage of the children. The reason for that is that they tend to manifest the elements of one of the parents in their awakened powers."
"Keiichi manifested the ability to manipulate his own blood as whips, which is the same as Senri. Although it is rare for power to manifest before the hunger kicks in" Kaname stated "Also, since his mother is an ex-human, there is no worries about him displaying superior powers of purebloods from the Kuran clan."
"Ex-human?" Liam blinked twice at the statement. Kaname did not miss the confusion in his voice and elaborated "It seems that she was a hunter that attacked Rido, but the sick freak turned her and impregnated her."
"Hmmm…" Liam mused, "That is strange."
"Why is that?" Kaname stood and headed to the bar, pouring a stronger drink, and getting back to his seat, welcoming the conversation distracting him from the migraine that still plagued him.
"That does not explain that the kid displayed two elements, combined no less." Liam did not wait for Kaname to snap out of his stupor, assuming that the pureblood was still jagged from the events of the previous night "Not only was he using his blood whips to manipulate the infamous vampire hunter weapon, Bloody Rose, he also turned the flowerbed into a barrier absorbing the essence of the materials that were hitting it."
Kaname's eyes widened for a second "Wasn't that you?"
Liam shook his head "I barely had time to register the attack, let alone take such drastic action."
The brunet pureblood's jaw tightened.
"Not to mention, that sweet scent of his blood, making the urges of a vampire like me stir even for a brief instant… You get it right… Kaname…" Liam's voice lowered with a hint of sadness.
"It would be easier to understand if the mother were a C-class vampire descending from the Hio clan seeing his ability to manipulate flowers. However, looking into the lineage is irrelevant knowing how many sick freaks are tampering with the nature of things nowadays. But…" Liam explained as he intertwined his fingers into a tight fist "...having that kid display such power even briefly will raise plenty of questions in the head of those who are aware of the wretched history."
The guest gaze softened as he looked into the pensive face of his friend.
"Your efforts are remarkable, Kaname. To go as far as shielding this child while knowing full well the consequences. Anyone else would have been greatly deceived, even myself had I not lived long enough to learn about them; The creatures believed to be stronger than the strongest level B vampires, almost on par with a pureblood… Carrying the curse of being in between in the hierarchy, for they were not supposed to be born in the first place, the biggest taboo existence there is in the vampire society… A hybrid." Liam's lashes fanned down as he closed his eyes, sadness engulfing him… "For thousands of years now, none of these children ever made it to the day they see their power awakened... Long ago, the first pact to ever get signed between Hunters and vampires aimed to annihilate the existence of hybrids as soon as the conception of such abnormality is confirmed, even if they had to kill the mother along with the child. You get it right! Ancestor of the Kuran lineage… After all, it is your clan that imposed such gruesome fate on these unsuspecting souls. Although, in the recent millennia, the last king continued the practice in a less barbaric manner, especially after deciding to establish the senate."
Kaname watched the ice in his drink melt, making a clicking sound as Liam paused his observation, "Considering the danger of carrying a hybrid child to term, the mother was often urged to terminate the pregnancy, tapping into the survival instinct by telling them that they will surely perish together. In the event of rejection, the doctor is under the obligation to use an underhanded way to terminate the pregnancy despite not having the consent of the parents." Kaname explained as he sipped on his drink.
"In the event that such pregnancy escapes the radar of the council, it is bound to be discovered by the hunter society. A select number of hunters would be dispatched to kill the child and anyone opposing them in the process. The elite of the hunter society and the elite of the Senate are the only people aware of this. However, such a child is considered a threat only when one of the parents is a pureblood." Liam finishes.
"It was nothing but a futile attempt to keep the balance of power under the control of the purebloods." Kaname remarked in disgust. "Looking back at the history during my 10,000 years of slumber, it was obvious to me that the existence of hybrids was feared by those looking to rise for supremacy."
"Hence, you decided to destroy all the channels that would lead to the demise of the hybrid children, namely the law prohibiting the abortion unless a set of conditions is met." Liam smiled as he stated the latest law that Kaname passed in the vampire society under the pretense of peace and co-existence. "I guess it started with you protecting Keiichi and preparing a safe place for him."
"Well… that may have been part of it…" Kaname mused…" The underhanded attempt to cause Yuki a miscarriage during her pregnancy with Ai may have played a bigger role in putting a leash on how the vile medications were distributed."
"Well… I have to say that I cannot help but feel apprehensive at the extreme measures that you have taken suddenly. What are you planning for, Kaname?" Liam had a serious tone, "Keeping a child like that at close proximity while concealing his true identity. I worry that you are back to your old antics, my friend."
Wine orbs fixed the golden eyes of the guest pureblood with an indescribable stare.
Liam stood up and walked in the direction of the pureblood, placing a knee on the edge of the loveseat, he hovered over the lazy form of the brunet "I would hate to see that kid being used as a pawn in yet another one of your chess games…" Liam drew his face closer to Kaname, his golden eyes morphed red as his lips parted to reveal growing fangs, "using his power to tilt the balance in your favor… Are you preparing for yet another war… Ancestor of the Kurans?" Liam hissed as he inched closer to the throbbing veins in Kaname's neck."
"Rest assured…" Kaname finally spoke, disregarding his drink on the table and patting the head of the pureblood softly "I am merely making sure that whatever powers the kid may have are not exploited and that he grows up knowing how to use them for the right cause."
Liam's eyes were still gleaming red as he met the now gentle wine orbs staring up at him. "Ne… Kaname… Howe did it taste… the blood of my beloved daughter as you sank these fangs into her neck... "Claws growing reached the lips of the brown-haired pureblood, fangs elongating further as red eyes took in the sight of the brunette sprawled against the cushions, wine orbs unwavering and limbs slack, showing no sign of resistance.
With a heavy sigh, Liam retracted his claws and fangs, going back to his normal state while making himself comfortable on the lap of the brunet. The bipolarity of his behavior never fazed Kaname, not even now when he moaned out in exasperation and pecked Kaname's cheek "I guess it can't be helped after all… once a father, always a father… Gomen love… You are not the only one to blame after all..." Liam apologized as he stroked the cheekbone of the brunet, getting comfortable as if ready to sleep in Kaname's embrace if allowed.
As he rested his head against the strong chest, Liam listened to the steady heartbeat while his thoughts drifted to a certain silver haired hunter. He mumbled softly, knowing that Kaname could hear him "You are growing more and more reckless, Kaname. Framing me as the partner in the mysterious picture is one thing, but for the lucky princess to be no one other than Kiryuu Zero, the one believed to hold the title of the king in the hunter's society in the near future. He is the biggest taboo person to court in the current times. Protecting a hybrid is trivial compared to the war that could erupt from this kind of sordid affair instead of the peace everyone is working so hard to instill."
"Rest assured... I am not the puppeteer for yet another war." Kaname spoke softly as he stroked the hair of the pureblood laying on top of him.
*Door open*
"Huh?"
"Ah!"
"Umm…" Ichiru stammered at the scene. Hanabusa's face dropped at the sight of someone clinging intimately to Kaname.
"Sorry for the interruption" Zero's voice jolted everyone in the room as he took a couple of steps towards the table near the entrance. The silverette placed the access card, "I will be back when you are 'less occupied'" the silver hunter snorted, making sure that disgust is palpable in his voice as he exited the place.
"Oh dear! ~" Liam exclaimed in a coy voice, adjusting himself in a sitting position on Kaname's lap and placing a finger on his own lips "Seems like I caused some… misunderstanding?" he trailed, acting cute while glancing at the intruders.
Ichiru's eyebrows twitched while Hanabusa broke in cold sweat. "Not at all!" Ichiru announced, venom obvious in his voice as he glared daggers at both purebloods "We were just passing by to discuss the findings of last night with Kuran as per the instruction of Cross Kaien since he had to rush to the association along with Yagari-sensei."
"Well…" Liam jumped out of the seat gracefully, "I will leave you to it while I get ready to depart… Last thing I want would be more involvement in this tangled mess of your societies… Too troublesome..." the pureblood shrugged as he approached Ichiru while throwing his long platinum hair over his shoulder.
Ichiru froze when the guest placed a kiss over his cheek while stroking his silver hair "Congratulations on your marriage! How cruel to have the newlywed working this soon."
Failing to sense any malice, Ichiru relaxed and nodded. Not commenting on the remark.
"Well might as well take the chance to thank you..." Liam continued, not missing the confused look on the couple's faces, "For taking care and loving my daughter until the last second of her life." Liam teleported instantly after finishing those words, leaving a more confused Ichiru.
Kaname rubbed his temple, exasperated at the antics of his guest. Knowing that Ichiru would not be satisfied until he understood the enigma in the words that Liam said, he chose to clarify and move on.
"Liam was one of the closest friends of the previous Kuran King, Yuki's grandfather. He was fervently against the formation of the council of elders (aka Senate) and loathed the practices of the vampire society. Unfortunately, the resolve of his mate and his clan was not as strong as his. So, his name was erased from the family tree and he was exiled from the vampire society as a punishment for his rebellion after the King passed. In the end, he failed to prevent his daughter from becoming a tool to fulfill their sick ambitions, namely by pushing her engagement to no one other than Rido Kuran…" Kaname paused for a second, almost regretting his explanation, "Liam is actually the father of Hio Shizuka."
"Huh?" Ichiru and Hanabusa had the same reaction, Kaname braced himself for the continuation, still rubbing his temple, bracing for more migraines yet to come…"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?!" the newlywed couple shrieked
Quite the troublesome fella…
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Liam whistled happily as he walked across campus, happy to leave the premises after bidding farewell to Takuma and sending his regards to Cross Kaien.
The whistling grew quieter as he took in the profile of the man standing at the gate of the academy. The ethic teacher leaned his back against the wall as he tapped the edge of the textbook against his shoulder, "Great performance yesterday! As expected from a former Idol." Gin spoke in a friendly manner.
Liam's expression remained alert but courteous as he approached the blue haired man. "Well... Thank you very much! I would say the same about your own performance during… the stormy part of the act…"
Gin shrugged, giving a defeated smile, "Pretty lame… I know…"
"I almost missed a note when I noticed you at the party! For the eternal life of me would I ever have imagined seeing you at such a gathering." Liam expressed his surprise in a rather dramatic way.
"Imagine my surprise to meet you again after all this time." Gin reciprocated the same.
Liam's face hardened, "Hearing that from someone who spent almost all his life on the move… I am not to blame for almost jumping out of my skin noticing you...After all, the last thing I remember from our last meeting was your bloodied form."
"Aaaah! You left me on the verge of death, after all…" Gin pointed out "What a disgrace that was…"
"Never underestimate the wrath of a father defending his precious child…" Liam pointed out "Good thing that we were made to forfeit the fight… I had every intention of killing you or leaving you in pieces before I died…"
"Scary!" Gin quipped.
"Still… for someone like you to be here… Shall I dread the worst? Your path has been filled with nothing but bloodied massacres." Liam inquired.
"Who knows…" Gin exhaled, pushing himself away from the wall and heading home.
"Hmm…" Liam mused for a moment "You…"
Gin halted his footsteps, not bothering to look back.
"To conceal your "true" self to the extent of putting yourself in danger… It makes me wonder...Why would someone, with hands as bloodied as yours, not react to what happened yesterday… Instead… You…" Liam paused at his own realization "Protected the boy with your own body…"
Gin eyes narrowed, "and…" he urged the pureblood to continue as he looked over his shoulder.
Liam did not miss the menacing look, neither did he care about it. "Well… Not that it is any of my business, being a measly exiled vampire with no interest in this mess."
"You seem to be a little too curious for someone with no interest." Gin hissed back, warning apparent in his voice.
"Come on~ Anyone else would be interested, knowing the kind of people gathering in this place." Liam stated as he looked at the Academy Campus "It is almost as if someone handpicked them, one by one. Quite scary if I say so myself."
Gin remained silent, despite agreeing with the statement.
"I have to admit that it was quite a thrilling few hour I spent here. But that is more than I can handle. I better leave before getting tangled in any more of this." Liam announced as he approached the limousine stopping at the gate.
"Liam…" Gin called out.
The pureblood looked at the hard expression of the man facing him, and chuckled softly, "You mellowed down… I guess that child taught you a thing or two after all."
Gin clicked his tongue in disdain, looking away.
I should have killed this guy when I had the chance.
"You regretted not killing me just now, didn't you?" Liam chirped.
"Greatly…" Gin confirmed.
"Hmm… Rest assured," Golden eyes met the grey ones in a sudden serious tone "Despite your deceiving appearance, I could never forget your true nature, take it lightly, or dare to ignore it. However, seeing you here and witnessing the events of yesterday confirmed the rumors and information I received about that place."
Gin's jaw tightened as he clenched his fists.
"Again... "Liam continued, his voice softening as he brought his right hand against his chest, "this exiled vampire has long been instructed not to interfere with the path you have taken, Lord!" he finished as he bowed in salute.
"I trust you on that." Gin exhaled and dismissed the pureblood.
In his limousine, Liam clasped his hands, willing away the unstoppable shaking of his body. "Fuck!"
"Liam-sama! Is everything alright?" The driver asked, alerted by the loud cursing.
"I am fine!" the agitated pureblood snapped as he closed the divider with the push of a button. Hastily unbuttoning his shirt and scratching at the branding etched on his chest.
"I apologize for the bloody mess; it seems that someone with ill intentions towards your family put you on his bad side... Good thing that we made it in time."
Liam remembered the words of the female hovering over his bloody form. Scorching pain shot through his chest at the memory of her hand in that very same place.
"This should suffice in delaying your demise… be sure to seek your mate quickly…"
The memory of the growling beast standing a few feet away as the woman tended to his injury sent shivers in the body of the pureblood.
"I will be removing the branding left on your chest if we ever meet in the future."
A fateful night, the night Liam had his heart literally crushed in pieces. That night, he almost drained the blood out of his servans and slumbered for a few years to recover from the attack launched by no one other than a young man, a mere mortal with eyes as empty as the deepest abyss.
A nervous chuckle escaped once Liam calmed down "Give me a break already! He is scarier now that he seems to have found a purpose for his aimless journey."
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About an hour later, at the health room where Aya was teetering on the verge of death, a worried Hanabusa stood by the computer, going through her medical records, reports from the doctor monitoring her case in his absence as well as the indicators on the screen relaying the real-time state of her vitals.
"The poison is destroying her cells at a scary rate." Aido mumbled.
Ichiru held the small hand of the girl, sad and frustrated at his own helplessness. He lifted his head to look at an antsy Zero. The hunter was increasingly irritated ever since he woke up, especially after he was summoned to the health room when he was about to go home.
Cross Kaien entered the room followed by Yagari Toga, earning a snarl from the hunter. "Took you long enough to reach."
"We came as soon as we received the urgent notice." Toga snapped back, reciprocating the irritation of his disciple.
"Haah?" Zero responded "Weren't you the one who called us here?"
Cross Kaien blinked "Nope! Kaname-kun asked." he clarified.
The answer successfully quieted down the bickering.
"Good afternoon." the head of an anxious prefect peeked inside the room, "Sorry for the intrusion but Takamiya sensei asked me to come here. Something about a summoning letter."
"Hai Hai!" A cheerful Yuki pushed the prefect inside, greeting everyone while Kaname followed shortly behind her.
Everyone in the room tensed momentarily at the fresh memory of the pureblood's madness.
"Good afternoon everyone! I called you here for a purpose other than apologizing for yesterday's mishap." Kaname declared in a monotone voice, showing no trace of remorse.
The faces of the hunters scrunched up. Their hands itched to reach their respective weapons and make a swiss cheese out of the arrogant pureblood.
A vein popped in Yuki's forehead as she pulled both their ears and kicked Kaito in the back to snap them out of their murderous aura.
"What is the reason for this urgent summon, and in this kind of place." Cross Kaien asked the million dollars question floating in the head of every person present.
"I needed reliable witnesses to justify what I might be forced to do in a little bit." Kaname explained in a flat tone.
Zero instinctively reached for his gun, still high-strung from the previous stunt.
"Zero!" Yuki screamed, frustrated.
"Leave it… Yuki…" Kaname calmed her down. "I would prefer it if Kiryuu-kun kept his guard up right now."
"Nao-kun" Kaname called out to the noble vampire who straightened his back immediately, "I need you to bite this young girl and suck her blood until I ask you to stop."
"What?" the young vampire shrieked at the same time as the rest of the audience except from Yuki and Kaname.
The female pureblood sighed, "See! I told you to explain your assumption before asking such a thing, onii-sama."
"There is no time to explain if we want to save the girl." Kaname pointed as he looked at Aido.
The golden-haired vampire had a grim expression looking at the vitals.
"How long?" Yuki asked, fearing the answer.
"Any minute now." Ichiru answered, having already asked the question before Yuki came in.
Few seconds of silence preceded the answer of the prefect "I refuse." in time with Akatsuki Kain joining the room.
"This is not a request, but an order." Kaname responded with an authoritative tone.
"Biting anyone other than your willing partner or parent is prohibited by the new law, it is a crime." Nao stood his ground firmly.
"I can simply compel you to do so." Kaname added.
"Kuran!" Zero interjected, pissed off at the statement.
"If the leaders of both parties approve, there would be no legal persecution." Kain added, crossing his arms, and leaning against the wall.
"I refuse" Zero stated stubbornly,
"It might save Aya-chan, Zero, trust me." Yuki explained, urgency filling her voice.
Yagari observed the interaction patiently while conscious of how Kaname was staring at him intently.
"I approve," the old hunter stated.
"Kiryuu-kun, I am sorry, but you already stepped down and handed over the rights to such decision. The decision is made between Yagari-san and Kaname-sama." Kain explained, leading to an enraged hunter cursing every living being while Yuki clung to his waist like a leech.
"Nao-kun, please proceed." Kaname ordered once again.
"I refuse." Nao objected fervently.
"Kaname-kun," Cross spoke softly, "I don't know what it is that you have in mind, but this child never bit a human before and he is under an oath not to do so…"
"That is a lie." Kaname interrupted, surprising the chairman.
Nao froze.
"Nao-kun may not have fed on humans, but he certainly did not feed on animals, let alone taken blood pills." Kaname showed a bag full of blood pill containers, unused, and handed it to Hanabusa along with a purchase slip.
Hana's eyebrows rose in surprise. "These are the pills assigned to Nao-kun since he joined the academy. What is the meaning of this?"
Kaname looked back at the prefect "Nao-kun, kindly proceed with the execution of my order to avoid any more of your secrets being divulged. You have enough suspicions to answer as it is."
"Nao-kun?" Cross Kaien was lost for words.
"I refuse." Nao stood firmly, eyes started to glow red, and a menacing aura started to seep out of his body.
"Nao-kun, calm down" Yuki jumped by his side "We are not trying to hur-" she startled as the student pushed her hard, slamming her back against the opposite wall.
"Aghhhh…." the young vampire grunted in pain as his vision swam and blurred for a moment. "Aaah" he screamed again as the hand piercing his abdomen pulled out.
"What the fuck do you think you are doing, Kuran!" *Click* Zero growled as he removed the safety of his gun, sticking the barrel to the temple of a calm Kaname.
The pureblood licked his bloody hand and urged Zero to check out the student.
Amethyst eyes widened when the pierced abdomen started healing instantly and closed within seconds.
The hand holding the gun dropped, and the hunter stood staring at the young vampire, stupefied.
"Nao-kun? How-" Zero whispered,
"As we are all aware, from personal experience or from observation," Kaname explained "the only plausible reason that a vampire can heal at that remarkable speed is if they are consuming fresh powerful blood on a regular basis."
Nao clicked his tongue, looking away from the scrutinizing stares.
"The person Nao-kun is feeding from is most probably no one other than Rosa. I am quite confident that her blood allowed the special ability of Nao-kun to mature and become more powerful at faster pace than normal."
Yuki pointed a finger, explaining "All vampires possess the ability to erase memory as well as taking away the pain from the injured people. However, Nao-kun can heal the actual wounds, even those of humans. He is capable of making it seem as though they have not been injured in the first place."
At this point, Nao was trembling. He took a sharp breath and tried to steady his voice but failed. Wincing as it cracked "What are you going to do with me now…"
Kaname gave a knowing look to Yagari, who nodded, "the girl lying in bed has been working by the side of the leader of the Kiryuu for quite a long time, making the information that she has to give voluntarily quite valuable. On the other hand, you have been living with Rosa for most of your life, making the information in your head that you may not give voluntarily quite valuable as well."
Nao paled at the explanation, immediately thinking of a way out, knowing that he would be exposing too much and too many people if Kaname were to peek in his head.
"The information that I have is probably useless if you are talking about Rosa-san. That woman never shares anything about herself or what she does. I never managed to find out anything even when I tried looking into her heart while drinking her blood." Nao explained, dismissively.
"Whether the information is useful or not would be up to my judgement." Kaname stated.
"Oi! Kuran! You are going too far…" Zero gritted his teeth, angry at his mentor who was now blocking him with his arm.
"How about a deal!" Akatsuki Kain proposed, "You follow the order given to you, and we guarantee that you will not be exposed to the pureblood power of mind control. You will still have to answer a few questions about your guardian of course, in a normal way."
Nao looked at the pureblood, waiting for him to respond.
"It works for me." Kaname shrugged nonchalantly.
The prefect bit his lower lip in frustration, looking at Yuki, who nodded in gentle encouragement.
"What is it that you need me to do?" Nao conceded.
"I need you to focus on your healing ability while sucking the blood of that girl." Kaname instructed, "Yuki will intervene at the right moment, so you do not have to worry about possibly killing her."
Yuki nodded fervently, reassuring the child.
"Aido…" Kaname called.
"Yes!" A nervous and confused Hanabusa responded.
"Please monitor the rate of toxicity in the blood of the patient and alert us once it drops below 10%." Kaname explained as Nao positioned himself behind the unconscious girl and Yuuki sat on the bed next to her, hugging her limp body against hers to make her neck accessible to the younger vampire.
"Huh?" Aido was taken aback by the statement, "drops down-"
The noble vampire felt his eyes bulging out when the numbers on the monitor started shifting as soon as the aura of the young prefect flared when he started sucking the blood of the sick girl.
"What the-" Aido grabbed the monitor, gaping like a fish as the level of the poison inside her body started reducing "What is happening?" He looked from the monitor to the people on the bed and back to the monitor.
Zero started feeling sick from the foul scent of blood that escaped Nao's mouth.
"10%" Hanabusa announced, still confused.
In a swift movement, Yuki pushed Nao away and bit the girl, sucking for a couple of seconds. The heart monitor went into flatline.
"Enough." Kaname instructed, Yuki immediately pulled out her fangs and bit into her own wrist while Kaname tilted the head of the unconscious girl to allow the blood to flow down her throat.
It took long minutes of silence, before a series of coughing startled the audience. Aido was rendered speechless as he witnessed the vitals restoring back to normal, and the young girl opening her eyes again, albeit as a vampire.
Ignoring the dull ache at the back of his throat, Zero took a few steps forward, examining the girl and making sure that she was okay. He then turned a venomous glare in direction of the pureblood who was ready to leave.
"Explain yourself, Kuran! How did you know about this?" the miffed hunter was about to blow his fuse once again. His parched throat did nothing but aggravate his mood.
Kaname closed his eyes for a second thinking of the distant memory,
"what a peculiar child, growing healthier when taking away the pain of others. No wonder you are called the vampire without fangs."
The pureblood crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe, not failing to notice the multiple curious eyes waiting for his explanation.
"Let us say that the events of last night surfaced some hazy memories of the ancient times." he explained in an apologetic tone "One particular memory was about an abnormality amongst vampires." His eyes wandered to Nao, now standing next to Zero "That pureblood was often mocked for their inability to turn humans into vampires. It was later discovered that, instead of injecting the poison that would turn humans into vampires, that particular vampire was instead absorbing the poison injected in the victims by other purebloods. Often, they end up saving the life of the victim, or make their transition to a vampire far less painful. All in all, Nao-kun here saved this girl from dying thanks to that same ability." Kaname straightened his posture and left the room, leaving behind a stunned audience.
"Woah!" Ichiru marveled at the explanation, "That is amazing Nao-kun!"
Aido's eyes sparkled at yet another mystery urging his genius scientist to decipher. The prefect was nothing short of creeped out at the reaction as well as confused about the new discovery about his own powers. So far, Nao only used his gift to heal physical wounds as taught by Rosa.
Nao finally flinched at the rich, baritone voice that followed the heavy hand grabbing his shoulder, "Now then! Shitty brat!" Yagari looked down on the kid with a glint of mischief in his eye, "Now that you finished your Samaritan job, let us get down to business."
"Unmm… Toga-chan…" Cross Kaien intervened just in time, noticing the young vampire shaking like a leaf while Hanabusa tried to pry him away from the hunter spouting nonsense about him being a valuable test subject for his research.
"Tsk!" Zero clicked his tongue, too irritated to process anything, "Cut it out already, all of you!" He howled at the overexcited crowd.
"Ichiru!" Zero called out.
"Hai!" his brother snapped out of his daze.
"Quit your swooning already and tend to Aya-chan until she is well enough to cooperate." Zero instructed
"You!" Zero pointed at Hanabusa, "Put the mad scientist to rest already and get back to your actual job." Hanabusa complied like a sulking puppy hiding his tail between his legs.
"Yuki!" the silver hunter turned to face his adoptive sister, "Those kids are in your care." he pointed at Aya-chan and Nao-kun.
Yuki smiled and nodded happily while waving as the hunter left the room, "It will be okay, Leave it up to me, Sir!"
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The walk to his car and the brief drive to Gin's house dragged for an eternity in Zero's inner clock. The hunter took hurried steps into the kitchen and towards the fridge dedicated to store the blood bags for his feeding.
"Good afternoon!" Gin called out from the kitchen, standing up from his seat at the table to grab another plate "I thought you were having lunch with Ichiru. Give me a minute, and I will prepare a plate for you."
"No need." Zero said curtly. He grabbed the third bag and downed it without bothering to heat it up.
"Zero?" Gin worried as he watched the silverette drinking the blood, one bag after the other, as if quenching the thirst of a thousand years. "Is everything okay?"
"I am fine." The answer came in the same sharp curt tone, which worried Gin even more, "Gonna take a shower." Zero hurried out of the kitchen, his eyes not bothering to meet those of his boyfriend.
"Uh… Okay!" Gin answered, despite zero leaving the kitchen long before he had the chance to speak.
Gin's eyes scanned the empty blood bags discarded on the floor as well as the open fridge. He finished the whole stock… Did he not drink any while at Ichiru's place? He proceeded to make a call and update Yuki about the need to restock.
"Now… What am I supposed to do?" Gin pondered while cleaning the mess left behind by the hunter. His worries escalated when Ichiru, being right next to Yuki at the time of the call, confirmed that Zero already finished the stock of blood bags they had to recover the energy he spent during the attack.
Noticing that the hunter was taking too long to get out of the shower, he climbed the stairs in his direction. As suspected, he found the pregnant vampire standing in the shower while water simply washed away at his still clothed form. Gin sighed heavily. He joined Zero in the cubicle, hissing at the ice-cold water.
"What are you doing?" Gin reprimanded, adjusting the temperature of the water. He proceeded to take off the hunter's clothes, worrying about the blank expression in Zero's face. He then cupped the dazed face and inched closer to kiss him, but Zero pushed him away and almost out of the cubicle.
"Zero…" Gin called out softly, gathering all his strength to rein in his own frustration.
"Get out." Zero ordered, not bothering to look at him again.
Gin finally snapped and took a step back inside the cubicle to hold the hunter in his arms, only for Zero to resist again. The wrestling only led to Gin pinning Zero's hand above his head and towering over the now positively pissed off hunter.
Amethyst eyes engaged in a glaring contest with the annoyed grey eyes of the taller man, neither showing any intention of backing down.
"If you are tightening your grip around my wrist with the intention of making it hurt, you need to put a lot more brute force into it." Zero snorted at the older man, only to be taken aback by the sad expression that Gin suddenly showed before releasing his arms and leaving the bathroom.
Seeing that they were both still on edge for various reasons, Gin opted to lay in bed, rubbing his temple in an attempt to relax. He later straightened up against the headrest and graded some papers to distract himself from the dark thoughts forming in his head.
Zero came out of the shower around ten minutes later, heading directly to the walk-in closet. He came out wearing a new outfit that suited his pregnant form to perfection.
"That looks good on you. Did you go shopping while I was away?" Gin's gentle tone expressed his approval of the new look.
"Uhm… I did. Yuki recommended a good store that caters for pregnant vampires, especially male vampires" Zero mumbled as he approached the bed while the other man was obviously checking out the hunter with an approving look.
Zero looked at the packages lying on the floor. "I thought you would get to that as soon as you get back?" he commented absentmindedly, pointing to the box with a picture of a crib that zero refused to put together as he is still planning to raise his child elsewhere.
Zero extended a hand to brush against the sharp jaw of the older man as he sat at the edge of the bed.
"I will get to it once I finish grading these papers," Gin answered as he pointed to the pile near him, not focusing on the grading at all, but avoiding any talk that may aggravate the silverette.
Zero grabbed his hand, removed the paper from it and maneuvered so that he laid his head on the chest of the older man, bringing one of his big palms on his head. the hunter let out a heavy sigh "Just a little bit… let me stay like this just a little bit."
Gin complied quietly, collecting the form of the hunter in a more comfortable position on top of him as he stroked the silver head with one hand and hid his face with the forearm of the other.
I guess that I have strayed too far to go back now… How many more surprises do you have in store for me… Zero… and how much longer will I be able to withstand it…
The shifting of the silverette snapped Gin out of his musing, especially the jolting pain as Zero sank his fangs in his neck without warning.
The sound of the vampire gulping on his blood with gluttony confirmed the suspicions of Gin. It is happening already…
The hand on top of the silver head stroked the soft hair in a soothing manner, urging Zero to drink more.
"You worry too much." Gin was surprised by Zero's words as he watched him revert to his usual self, wiping the stray drops of blood at the corner of his lips.
Gin smiled, "Can you blame me?"
Zero did not answer. He silently got up and collected Bloody Rose from the nightstand.
"Leaving again?" Gin inquired,
"Going back to Cross Academy and then the Association headquarter." Zero explained.
"Take care please." Gin pleaded in a tone that made Zero halt in his footsteps. With his back facing the older man, he clenched his fist and spoke softly "I am sorry for exposing you to that much danger last night… I think it would be better for you to keep away from such gatherings… for your safety…" Zero left without waiting for an answer.
Gin chuckled, "As kind-hearted as ever… Except…" the pen broke in two in the hand of the teacher "I think that you are the one who should be kept away, confined, locked away if it was up to me." Teeth gritted in frustration from remembering the back of the silverette as the particles of dust floated around his blinding light during the attack against Kaname.
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The aftermath of the events left Zero drained. He was beyond livid that the wedding of his brother was ruined because of their elusive enemy. The worst part of it all was the expected retaliation of the anti-vampire groups following the mess Kaname made by going out of control in the least convenient place and time.
Zero felt bad for dragging his newly wed brother back into work, but Ichiru beat him to the punch by reaching the Association headquarter before him. A pang of guilt stabbed Zero's chest when he had to ask his business partner to take care of the company for a couple of days despite knowing the dire circumstances that Allen was going through.
Every radio station, every newspaper, every media channel was blabbering about the sudden and unforeseen earthquake, floods and power shortage that occurred around the globe at various frequencies. The anti-vampire faction in Japan did not lose time launching their attack on the association, blaming their lack of structure and preventive measures that resulted in so much damage around the area.
Zero switched off the radio of his car when the reporter started yapping about information leaking regarding a coup by vampires against humans.
"What a load of crap!"
Zero spent the rest of the drive cursing at Cross Kaien and Yuki for their foolish decision of making the existence of vampires known to the public in the country as an attempt to advance the plan of co-existence.
"This is what we have to deal with because of your fucked up idealistic illusion!" the hunter screamed as he entered the meeting room where the top brass of the three societies gathered.
"Zero…" Cross called in a warning tone.
"Kiryuu-kun, please calm down and have a seat." Isaya Shouto tapped the shoulder of the angry hunter, guiding him to his seat.
"Let us not lose sight of what is happening because of some useless media scams jumping at us like starving hyenas." Yagari announced as he took seat next to Cross Kaien, glancing at the Kuran pureblood seated next to him.
Right on cue, Kaname started his formal apology about the events of the night before, briefed about the sealed memories without divulging deep details, as well as proposing a solid plan to cover up the accidents without causing any more casualties.
"Well… It is quite fortunate that there was no death or major injuries. The toll of damage extends to merely material things such as buildings, roads, cars, etc. Nothing the Kuran group cannot compensate for, as mentioned by Kaname-kun." Councilor Wakaba confirmed the findings in the reports he received from his daughter. "I will be assisting with the prominent figures in the government entities so as not to allow the corrupt rumors to fester there any longer. Sayori is already making her rounds at the cabinets as we speak."
Zero started to cool down upon hearing the positive feedback. His intense glare never leaves a certain pureblood.
"You could have killed him a hundred times over if your glare had that kind of power." Kaito jabbed the hunter, making him aware that his aura was making people around him extremely uncomfortable.
"You can't even imagine how much I would wish for it to be the case right now…" Zero hissed.
"Things are working out for the best apparently. Quit being on edge already, it is not like you can go around killing anyone since we have no clue who attacked us in the first place." Kaito chided.
"I am well aware of that, thank you!" Zero snapped at his fellow hunter, taking a sharp breath to calm his fury. He was well aware that the pureblood would be considered a victim in this situation. "I just have this rage inside me." Zero placed a hand on his own neck, rubbing the tattoo vigorously, taking extra care not to break the skin even though he wanted to claw at it like a mad animal.
The meeting concluded with more ambiguous results that led nowhere. The surfaced memories Kaname shared served very little to the purpose of defeating the enemy. The only highlight worth mentioning was that there were two different attacks that happened consecutively. The first one targeted Zero and the second one targeted Kaname. If any attack was meant to take out either of the influential figures, it was safe to assume that the enemy is looking to spark another war between species.
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"Kuran!" Zero called out to the male pureblood in the middle of the massive lobby in the association "Come with me."
Kaname stood still, slightly confused.
"I need a sparring partner to let off some steam." Zero stated, irritation obvious in his voice.
"Zero! What are you talking about?" Cross Kaien flailed his arms following the two adults walking to the training section of the building, "You too, Kaname-kun, why are you following him obediently."
"Butt out of it, old man!" Zero snapped
"It is okay Cross-san." Kaname pulled the ex-hunter gently as he entered the sparring room, "I think we both need this." he closed the door and locked it, preventing any more protest from the wheat haired hunter.
"Did you replenish enough blood?" Kaname asked as he took off his jacket, carefully hanging it in the locker.
"I could ask you the same."
"I guess I can take that as a yes." Kaname mused, noticing that Zero placed Bloody Rose in the locker before closing its door.
Outside the sparring room, Yuki and Cross were biting their nails and gritting their teeth while Yagari amused himself by rolling a toothpick around his mouth, itching for a cigarette. Each one of them would flinch at the sound of a loud bang and the crashing coming from the room since the sparring started. It was not helpful that Kaname blinded the mirror allowing them to witness what was happening inside.
"Do you think they will be okay?" Yuki muttered, on the verge of losing her nerves, and try to take down the charmed door to stop whatever fight was going on inside.
Kaito sighed, "Zero has been on edge since yesterday. His murderous aura was as palpable as the time he came back to take part in the last war, urging to kill anything that moves."
Yuki shuddered at the memory.
"Seeing that he is getting crazily stronger ever since the pregnancy and the release of his power by that Kiryuu bitch, it is safe to assume that Kaname Kuran is the only one who can handle his wrath with the least risk of dying in the process."
Yagari exhaled in exasperation, "Well… Those two make a great team if not for the eternal hatred they seem to harbor against one another."
"Agreed!" The statement received unanimous approval.
"I hope the sparring room holds up until they are done though." Yagari pondered.
"No worries" Yuki chirped, explaining proudly, "the room was built as a carbon copy from the sparring quarter in the Kuran Castle. It was designed for purebloods to spar and practice to their heart's content without them being detected in any way. It is impossible to destroy let alone for anyone to even breach the charmed walls around it-"
*Crash*
Yuki barely finished talking when Kaname came flying out of the room through a hole gaping the wall. The pureblood stood up, quickly wiping away the blood from the scratch on his face and dusting his clothes.
Everyone shrieked and moved away when the footsteps of Zero crackled the ground under his soles "Okay then! We have an agreement." Zero approached the pureblood extending a hand.
Kaname nodded and shook the extended hand.
Zero fished his keys and threw them for Kaito to catch. "Go get my stuff from the locker, you are driving me ba-" the hunter barely had time to finish his sentence before his vision blurred and his body went completely slack in the arm of the brunet who caught him in time.
"Zero!" Yuki yelled at her unconscious brother while the others rushed to ask for medical assistance.
Why is everyone so loud!
"Yuki! Listen" Kaname whispered for his sister to calm down, an amused smile on his lips confused both Yuki and Yagari who stayed behind.
A vein popped in the temple of the old hunter when he realized that Zero was snoring. Yuki fisted her hands, reigning in the urge to punch the life out of her adopted brother.
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Amethyst eyes fluttered open, taking in the familiar surroundings of Ichiru's apartment. Zero sighed as he ran fingers through his hair, I overdid it this time.
"Feeling better?" the rich voice he grew accustomed to surprised him in the complete silence of the room.
Zero looked to his side, checking the brunet vampire leaning against the wall close to the bed where he slept.
"Were you creepily watching me sleep… again?" Zero sighed as he adjusted himself in a seating position.
"Old habits die hard." Kaname chuckled out the words, pushing away from the wall and approaching the silverette while diluting some blood pills in the cup of water that he was holding. Zero accepted the drink gratefully.
"Where is everybody?" Zero questioned…
"Busy with various tasks assigned to them, including your instructions." Kaname pointed out.
"Oh…" Zero looked down at the now empty glass, feeling the heaviness of the awkward silence as the seconds ticked away.
The pureblood shifted and sat at the edge of the bed, bringing a hand to the forehead of the hunter. Zero was surprised that the palm felt pleasantly cool.
"It seems that the fever has gone down." Kaname sighed in relief.
Zero looked at him quizzically, "fever?"
"You had a slight spike in fever during your sleep that worried Yuki when she came to check on you. Aido seems to think it is due to stress and overexerting yourself." Kaname had a guilty look haunting him and Zero could not help but want to get rid of it.
"A good night of sleep and proper rest will kick its ass, nothing new." Zero announced in a slightly cheerful way, uncharacteristic of the grumpy hunter.
Kaname observed the hunter, enjoying the reflection of the dim light on the improving complexion of the silverette. He watched as Zero opened his palm and stared at his own hands, getting lost in his thoughts while the all too familiar frown formed.
"You felt it... right?" Zero muttered, knowing that Kaname could hear him.
"Yes…" the pureblood confirmed "It took me by surprise."
"Sorry about that." Zero apologized
"Nonsense, I am the one who provoked you in the first place." Kaname countered, smirking slightly at the memory of provoking the hunter at the end of the fight when Zero inquired about the nature of his relationship with Liam. The pureblood had to admit that he took it too far by blatantly pointing out the possibility that the hunter might be jealous of another man lying in his arms. It earned him quite the whip, sending him flying through a heavily reinforced wall.
"You bet" Zero Growled.
"About our discussion, I just wanted to confirm again that I agree with your observations, in case you passed out before hearing my answer." Kaname teased.
"I heard you loud and clear." Zero bellowed, embarrassed about passing out sleeping in such a way.
"The only explanation for Keiichi to be targeted would be that the truth about him being Rido's child was leaked." Kaname pondered "Only a handful of people are aware of his nature. This should make it easy to figure out the suspect."
"I guess. However…" Zero paused, looking intently at the wine orbs observing him "We cannot afford a rift inside the circle at this critical time, it could be the actual goal of the enemy after all. That is why I prefer for the both of us to do the preliminary investigation without alerting anyone else for now."
"I understand…" Kaname nodded. "Ichiru seems to have found a way to strengthen the seal."
Zero was not thrilled about the information, but conceded, "I think Cross Kaien should be exempted from participating in the ritual this time."
"I would say the same about you…" Kaname commented.
"Remind me who kicked your mad ass to the curb when you went berserk" Zero Challenged.
"Fair enough…" Kaname chuckled at the statement.
There was another heavy moment of silence before Kaname whispered in a slightly hesitant tone, "Zero…" he extended his hand to brush away a strand from the hunter's face, "Thank you for saving me."
Zero nodded, his hand fisting the covers at the vivid memory, "Don't be so stupid as to get caught in a sham like that again, I might end up killing you the next time." he gritted the words, doing his best as not to let the pain he felt show on his face.
Kaname stood from the bed to leave, "Dying at your hands would not be a bad way to perish…" the pureblood teased, earning a pillow thrown at the back of his head.
He was surprised when he turned around and witnessed the anguish in Zero's face, "Don't fucking joke around about death so lightly, you jerk!"
"I did not mean-"
"What you meant does not matter… Just stop throwing promises and speaking nonsense left and right! YOU PISS ME OFF!" Zero finally screamed his lungs out, fury blazing as he glared at the stunned burnet.
The silverette took a deep breath, "Kaname," he spoke in a calm collected voice, "I am not running away from myself anymore. I may have been unstable for a few years now. I may have been overly impulsive because of my constant heat and messed up hormones but I could still see through the bullshit of everyone around me just fine. My involvement with you stemmed from carnal desire… I am sure that you are aware of that… I am not gonna run away from the truth that I enjoyed our 'encounters' more than any other tryst I had. In fact, you may have been the only one to satisfy me enough to clear the fog that haunted me for a long time. I thank you for that. But..." Zero paused, taking another deep breath and choosing his words carefully. "I am not in love with you…"
Amethyst eyes looked into wine orbs, ensuring that Kaname gave him his undivided attention, "Truth being told, I am not capable to trust you enough to allow myself the luxury of developing any kind of attachment towards you."
Kaname attempted to interject but the hunter gestured for him to kindly listen, which he obliged.
"I am not in love with Gin…" the statement did not seem to faze the pureblood, "...and I don't think he is in love with me either, neither are you."
"That is for me to decide," Kaname finally interjected, but Zero paid no attention as he continued.
"If love is what everyone makes it out to be, then the only love I am capable of would be for my family," He elaborated while putting a hand on his belly and thinking of the newlywed couple as well as Keiichi…
"Kaname… Not to sound arrogant or narcissistic, but I had my fair share of 'admirers' ever since I became 'sexually active'... During that time, I was also maturing as a vampire and as a hunter… Those three aspects of my life were often intertwined in ways that made me realize things that I was rather naive about or ignored on purpose…"
Kaname leaned against the chest of the drawer, opposite to the bed, listening carefully.
"I have observed over the years that hunters and vampires do share a lot of common traits, as much as I hate to admit it. The pull of desire, heightened obsession and not to mention the need to control and dominate." Zero's eyes glinted for a second as he looked down at the palm of his hands," Vampires are mostly driven by desire… you know what I mean… whether it is the blood lust to kill, to feed or to mate…Hunters are no better in that regard, it takes every fiber of my being not to pull a trigger when my heightened hunter senses are alerted by the presence of a prey." open palms balled into a tight fist,
"Having witnessed enough tragedies and slayed enough vampires because of our natural instincts," Zero looked up to the brunet, a faint smile tainted with bitterness adorned his face, "I simply grew immune… or rather numb to the notion of harboring affection, yet alone falling in love. I sort of learned to detach myself from such clingy emotion that generally blinds you to what is obvious to the naked eye." Zero paused
"Which is…" Kaname urged him to continue in a soft voice, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Obsession." Zero articulated the word, "You see… Kaname… the reason I am quite certain that you are not in love with me is not a fruit of my own denial. I am not trying to deny whatever it is you are feeling towards me, but I just want to explain how it looks from my perspective. Ever since we met at the house of Cross Kaien as kids, we spent quite a chunk of our time as enemies, fighting for the affection of the same girl, Yuki. Don't you find it ironic that those feelings fizzled out as soon as one of us jumped ship?"
"What I had for Yuuki was not-" Kaname was cut short
"Was not love" Zero finished his sentence, "Yes… You blabbered for ten years about how Yuki was the precious person that you vowed to protect, and how she was your eternal mate. You even manipulated me to be a pawn in the scheme of protecting her, regardless of how much that twisted my life and the lives of those around you."
Kaname winced at the reminder.
"At the end, Yuki and you ended up drifting apart shortly after you found your way back to each other. The broken bond after you threw your heart in the furnace made it all the more clear that those ten years were nothing but mutual infatuation you both had for each other."
Kaname was unable to refute the true statement.
"In our case, it is not that different, except for the type of infatuation. The truth is… the set of circumstances and few lapses of judgment on both sides catapulted in the formation of a new type of obsession. In my case, I became utterly addicted to you in terms of carnal desire. I believe that it started that way with you too. However, the instinct of the pureblood inside you was sort of hard to resist when presented with the opportunity to tame the unruly vampire that escaped your clutches no matter how many times you tried to enslave me and manipulate me."
Zero lifted his hand to stop the protest of the pureblood.
"As I said before, I may be a hot mess of fucked up hormones, pregnancy and mood swing, but I am still Zero Kiryuu."
The hunter paused, ensuring that the message came across loud and clear.
"Deception has been a second nature to you for many of the years that I have known you, Kaname. However, I have no doubt that we share the same belief when it comes to fighting for peaceful coexistence until a cure to vampirism is found. That is the reason why I concluded that your pureblood instinct was getting the best of you when we drown ourselves in blind pleasure. Let us face it… you are not the type to throw all our hard work and destroy all that we have been building so far just to bind me with something as scandalous as a child, spouting nonsense about not caring if you had to leave everything and start a new life together. That kind of bullshit is unthinkable for people with the weight of responsibility that we both carry as well as the oath we have taken. The same oath that allowed us to achieve a semblance of balance after fixing the chaos that you caused in the first place."
The words cut deep into the pureblood, forcing him to take a moment of reflection when Zero paused to check the message he received on his phone.
"To tell you the truth," Zero resumed as he threw the phone on the bed, "I grew suspicious of your intention when you proposed to impregnate me. After the haze of lust dissipated, I started second guessing your ulterior motive behind such a ridiculous bet. I later chose to disregard that thought in favor of all the atonement you have been working on ever since you were revived. However, seeing how you were fervent about the pregnancy thing… I was compelled to consider that the king, who elicited the previous war, could be back to his mischief with yet another agenda… Better yet, I did consider that you may have been planning to get me in bed with you and impregnating as the next chapter of your grand scheme after the previous chapter ended with you throwing your heart in that furnace. Can you blame me?"
Kaname did not bother to respond. The memory of his last moments with the silverette after he threw his heart in the furnace justified the suspicions of the hunter.
"Ah! The cherry on top was that ban you placed on the right for abortion." Zero chuckled dryly, "I seriously felt like killing you the day I learned about it."
"Pardon?" Kaname was confused by the statement.
"Well… Making that stupid bet about getting me pregnant and keeping the child, you mentioned something about not allowing me to get rid of it and then I find out that you issued such a law. If that is not the actions of an obsessed control freak, I don't know what is. It made me wonder if your plan was to use your own child as a pawn instead of me this time." Zero unconsciously clutched the fabric over his pregnancy bump in a protective manner.
"That law has been implemented long before we got together." Kaname countered in a calm voice, halting the musing of the silverette.
"Huh?" Zero looked up, confused.
The pureblood unhooked his crossed arms and approached the bed, sitting on the edge while keeping a respectful distance from the hunter, appreciating that he was finally opening up.
"I simply imposed more strict regulations on the distribution of the medication so as not to allow the tradition of sneakily terminating a pregnancy while disregarding the mother's consent. The abortion drug was being distributed like candy. The incident where some of it was slipped in Yuki's food, almost causing her miscarriage during her pregnancy with Ai prompted me to take some radical action against the practice. It happened shortly after I awakened when you distanced yourself from everyone except for Ichiru."
"Oh!" Zero was taken aback, slightly stunned by the information. A pang of guilt hit him at the news of what Yuki suffered in his absence.
"Am I to assume that you attempted to terminate your current pregnancy?" Kaname inquired.
"Huh?" the hunter flinched for a moment, worrying about blowing up his cover at the sudden inquiry, "Well… hahaah" Zero laughed nervously, looking away from the scrutinizing look of the pureblood, "Sort of…"
Kaname's brow knitted before rising up as he muttered an apology "I am sorry, I should not be prying in your private matters. I just worry it may have something to do with what I have made you go through."
The hunter understood that Kaname was referring to the night of Ai's inauguration ball.
He sighed heavily, "It did play a role in the decision. I was at a very low point when I discovered my pregnancy and was certain that I was unfit to be a parent… however..." Zero looked down, smiling softly at the bump, feeling sweet warmth washing over him with the fluttering movements of his child. "I guess I just needed a small push in the right direction to realize that this is what I truly needed to get my life together once again."
Kaname admired the gentle look on Zero's face, "Good thing that his father changed your mind."
"eeh?! …. Ahh… Yeah! It was a touch and go for a moment there" Zero stuttered.
Fearing that he may ruin the good mood if he were to voice his thoughts, Kaname stood up to leave, assuming that the conversation was over.
"Any number of apologies may not be enough to express how sorry I feel about the way things ended between us. But I will do my best not to cause you anymore troubles in the future. I wish for you to also forgive me one day even if it means that I will not get the chance to atone in the way I planned."
"Kaname!" Zero snapped, annoyance laced his tone.
The pureblood stopped and listened, "Listen to me carefully, I may not have forgotten what happened that night, but I assure you that you are forgiven because I had a hand in it as well. Just like I forgave you for a lot of shit you have done in the past in favor of joining forces and building a better future together. Your atonement has been fulfilled plenty. However, part of me will still hold a little mistrust towards you as long as you keep on being your devious self."
"That is to be expected," Kaname commented in an amused manner, "I did give you all reasons to be doubtful."
"You bet…" Zero quipped, standing from the bed and stretching his stiff body "However, it is impossible for the both of us to have anything remotely close to friendship" the hunter pointed out before swallowing more blood pills, "the concept is simply impossible due to the pull of desire that seems to bind us now. No matter how much I wish that I could forget the intoxicating taste of what we had." Zero gave Kaname a coy blink.
"I agree." Kaname sighed, a wistful smile adorning his face.
"It felt good to get that off my chest at last." Zero exhaled, "I have to admit though, it feels that everything happened for a good reason." he pointed to his belly, "to realize what is important for me. I am more eager now than ever to kick the ass of whoever is messing around with our plans to ensure this little guy grows up in a more peaceful world. So… I hope you understand why I refused to engage in the detrimental dynamic you were pushing for."
Yet again, Kaname had a lot that he wanted to say, but chose silence instead. He simply nodded in agreement, watching as the hunter walked in his direction and towards the door.
Zero placed a hand on Kaname's shoulder and whispered, "The pledge you made in the elevator may be a result of the remaining infatuation, but I do not want to invalidate your feelings. So… here is what I have to say… and I will only say it once."
Zero looked away, ensuring the pureblood does not notice the slight pink hue adorning his face "I would like you to keep that promise if you are serious. But, right now, your words mean nothing to me, not without the right action validating them. One thing for sure… Nobody can predict the future, let alone how the unexpected might end up happening…"
Zero exited the room, leaving Kaname standing in the middle of it. Long lashes fluttered shut as the pureblood inhaled deeply. He allowed himself to absorb the last words of the hunter that concluded the long lecture. If they were destined to be together, it may happen the day they finally put their fighting armors down and join each other as equals in the fairness of the mortal world. The end goal they are both fighting hard to accomplish along with the people following them.
No matter how much more powerful you become, the ex-human inside you is bound to fear the power of the pureblood that I am. I guess that is bound to put a dent on our chances of being together without the power game getting in between.
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"Geeh!..." Zero jumped out of his skin when he almost got buried alive by a pile of scrolls and books as he opened the door to the Association's underground Archive room.
"ICHIRU!" the hunter called out, digging through the mess of books and papers scattered all over the place.
"Over here! Nii-san!" the voice of his twin chirped happily from the far-right corner.
Zero rubbed the back of his head, annoyed. "What is going on here?"
"We received another shipment of the manuscripts and archives of the Kiryuu Clan, so I am having a quick look while they are organizing them." Ichiru explained without taking his eyes off the tattered book he was flipping carefully. "These references seem to be older than the one in the Association archive." He expressed in total awe.
Zero felt sorry for the five assistants scurrying around his brother, doing their best to contain the mess that Ichiru was creating. There is no stopping him once he gets in that mood… I guess this is yet another similarity he shares with his mad scientist of a husband… Nerds!
"Did you need anything? Nii-san?" Ichiru finally put the book down and turned to face his brother.
"I was wondering if you found anything to help contain it." Zero looked down at his palm again.
Ichiru followed the gesture and smiled gently, "Don't worry about it!" the younger twin slapped the back of his twin, successfully snapping him out of his gloomy mood. He walked over a pile of books and pulled one out, waving it at Zero.
"You see…" Ichiru elaborated, "the amount of stress you put on yourself through last night to contain Kuran Kaname led to your newly released powers to awaken at a faster pace. It seems that the same symptoms happen to the kids in this family when they start tapping into their dormant magic. I am feeling a little sluggish and feverish these days as well."
Zero was a little miffed at being compared to a kid at the age of puberty. "Ichiru…" the hunter drawled in annoyance, "I literally wacked Kuran Kaname through a heavily charmed wall earlier just because he ticked me off with a snide remark."
Ichiru barely held himself back before bursting in laughter, "Kaito told me about it. I wish I was there to see it and witness your reckless act of falling asleep mid speech."
Zero's face flared red, and he cursed for a moment before stopping at a sudden thought crossing his mind, "Ichiru… Keiichi has been experiencing an increase of growth pain recently and seems like his appetite is growing as well… Also… what happened yesterday…"
"Yeah! I am going crazy looking for the spell our parents used to seal our magic." Ichiru explained, "Every minute counts now. Your awakened magic seems to have triggered the awakening of Keiichi's as well. We cannot afford that now."
Zero was grateful that his brother had a sharp eye.
"And…" silver eyebrow twitched as Zero recovered his old self, "What the fuck is going on in this place and those two piles?"
Ichiru gave a sheepish smile, acting innocent when his brother pointed to the trolley of books being discharged in a pile at the center of the now empty room.
"You seee…" Ichiru trailed, "Aya-chan gave us some great leads on where to find the hideouts of the Kiryuu clan across the world. We need to know as much as we can about our own powers and more importantly, find that damn scroll talking about the prophecy that may relate to why Keiichi could be in danger. So, we immediately sent troops to collect all relevant data. Unfortunately, the clan seems to be out of touch with any kind of technology. Everything is written down on paper in all forms. Hence this…" Ichiru explained, "We had to take down the shelves, and make space in the archive room until we sort and organize them."
"Is that the pile of the organized resources so far? that is fast." Zero commended his brother seeing the smaller organized tower of books.
Ichiru looked hesitantly at his brother, "That is the pile of all the resources of the Association that was on the shelves previously."
"Huh?" Zero was confused, trying to process the outrageous answer that he was about to get for his next question, "then… that one is?" pointing the larger pyramid like pile of books.
"The archive of the Kiryuu clan we collected so far…"
"HAAAAAAAA!" Zero screamed his lungs out, startling everyone around him. He coughed a couple of times, trying to calm down and clear his throat. Sadly, he was not able to contain his astonishment, "You are telling me that the archive of that freaking clan is ten times bigger than that of the previous Hunter association that was collected over thousands of years. THE ARCHIVES OF ONE FAMILY IS THAT BIG?" Zero all but lost his mind.
"We are still awaiting the arrival of two ships and one cargo airplane that Kuran dispatched to collect the resources scattered overseas…" Ichiru added fuel to the fire.
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?" Zero bellowed, "Looking for that damn scroll is like finding a needle in a haystack with all this."
Zero's words were the last nail in the coffin. Ichiru's shoulders slumped, taking his turn in being the gloomy twin. "I am well aware of that."
"Aaaaah! Never mind, Ichiru…" Zero's tone turned serious all of a sudden, "I have a favor to ask."
"What is it?" Ichiru inquired.
Zero dismissed all the assistants and guards present around them, closed the large doors of the archive room, and met the now alert and serious eyes of his brother.
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Thank you for reading guys!
By the way! The memory Kaname referred to when he threw his heart in the furnace will be posted as a short angsty one-shot because it is sort of common pivot moment common for another story I will be posting soon. It will also help the readers who did not read or finish the awesome manga yet.
Waiting for those encouraging reviews and assumptions based on what we reached so far~~
Also, Thank you thank you thank you so much for the ton of encouragement and the warm welcome you gave me guys… You had me in tears of joy!